Charles Wheatly was an English clergyman, known for writings on the Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...

.

Life

He was born on 6 February 1686, the son of John Wheatly, a tradesman of London. His mother, whose maiden name was White, was a descendant of Ralph White, brother of Sir Thomas White

Thomas White (merchant)

Sir Thomas White was an English cloth merchant, civic benefactor and founder of St John's College, Oxford.He was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of William White, a clothier of Reading, and his wife, Mary, daughter of Henry Kibblewhite of South Fawley, also in Berkshire. He was brought up in...

. Charles entered Merchant Taylors' School

Merchant Taylors' School

There are three schools in England known as 'Merchant Taylors' School':*Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Founded 1561*Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby, Founded 1620*Merchant Taylors' Girls' School, Crosby, Founded 1888...

 on 9 January 1699, and matriculated at St John's College, Oxford

St John's College, Oxford

__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...

, on 28 March 1705. He was elected a Fellow in 1707, and graduated B.A. on 23 January 1710, and M.A. on 28 March 1713, resigning his fellowship in the same year.

On 24 May 1717 he was chosen lecturer of St Mildred-in-the-Poultry, and in 1725 lecturer of St Swithin, Londonstone. On 23 March 1726 he was instituted vicar of Brent Pelham

Brent Pelham

Brent Pelham is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The village is one of the Pelhams, along with Stocking Pelham and Furneaux Pelham. Near St Mary's church are ancient stocks which could accommodate up to three people at once. A derelict windmill survives in the village....

, and on 1 April 1726 vicar of Furneaux Pelham in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

. He died at Furneaux Pelham on 13 May 1742, and was buried in the parish church.

Works

His major work is The Church of England Man's Companion, or a Rational Illustration of the Harmony … and Usefulness of the Book of Common Prayer, which first appeared in 1710 (Oxford), and went through many editions, one being that published at Cambridge in 1858 by George Elwes Corrie . Wheatly was also the author of:

• ‘Bidding of Prayers before Sermon no mark of Disaffection to the present Government,’ London, 1718; new edit. London, 1845.
• ‘The Nicene and Athanasian Creeds … explained and confirmed by the Holy Scriptures,’ London, 1738.
• ‘Fifty Sermons on Several Subjects, and Occasions,’ ed. John Berriman, London, 1753.

Family

He was twice married: first, on 16 August 1713, to Maria (died 10 December 1724), daughter of William Findall of the Clarendon Press; secondly, to Mary, daughter of Daniel Fogg, rector of All Hallows Staining. His second wife survived him.